One person is dead after a Wednesday night fire in Trempealeau County. Crews responded at around 8:30 p.m. to a garage fire in Independence. Reports saw a male adult was found dead at the scene. The victim's name has not been released and the cause of the fire has not been reported.
Area
snowmobilers wanting to ride the trails will have some opportunities
this weekend. Pepin County trails are now open, but extra caution is
advised. Eau Claire County Trails will open on Saturday, and in
Trempealeau County, only the Buffalo River Trail is open. Trails in
Dunn and Buffalo County remain closed as of Friday.
A missing Rusk County teenager has been found safe. Fourteen-year-old Alexandria Kuntz was found missing her Glen Fora home at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Police say the girl's laptop and cell phone had been left behind. Police say the girl was found last night. No other details as to how or where the girl was found have been released.
A suspect is in custody and facing charges in connection with a Sawyer County homicide. Authorities responding to a home in the Town of Radisson Wednesday afternoon found a woman who had been killed in an apparent stabbing. Investigators determined 37-year-old Yevhen Kravchenko to be a possible suspect in the killing of the woman -- since identified as Lynette Coaty. Kravchenko was later arrested during a traffic stop and is being held in the Sawyer County Jail.
A man charged following a deadly crash on I-90 is accepting a plea deal. Authorities say Isaac Morales Jr was drunk behind the wheel when he crashed into a man working a road surfacing machine near the Village of Oakdale in November of 2024. The worker died at the scene and Morales faced charged including first-degree reckless homicide. Morales pleaded no contest this week to homicide by intoxicated use of vehicle and injury by intoxicated use of vehicle. He will be sentenced at a later date.
A February hearing has been set for a Chippewa Falls man charged after a deadly accident on Lake Wissota. The attorney for defendant Bruce Sanborn is asking that a charge of reckless homicide filed against his client be dismissed. Twenty-four-year-old Elle Jo Kramschuster was riding as a passenger on Sanborn's jet ski in May when there was a collision with another jet ski and Kramschuster suffered fatal injuries. Sanborn and the other jet ski operator were both charged in the victim's death but Sanborn's attorney says the criminal complaint leaves out the part of the story where the other man charged admits to crashing into Sanborn's jet ski.
Fire officials are reminding residents to use space heaters safely during the winter months. This follows two recent home fires in Wausau that were linked to space heaters. One fire reportedly started when a heater was placed too close to clothing and bedding. Another fire was caused by a heater plugged into multiple power strips and an ungrounded outlet. Officials say space heaters are a leading cause of winter home fires and stress keeping heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn.
Wisconsin voters may have the opportunity next fall to roll back a partial veto by Governor Tony Evers. The Democratic Governor’s partial budget veto committed the state to spending more on K-12 education each year for the next 400 years. Assembly speaker Robin Voss telling the Wisconsin State Journal that Republican lawmakers plan to bring back for a second consideration a constitutional amendment to reverse Evers’ veto. which was upheld in April by the state Supreme Court. The proposed amendment would prohibit Wisconsin governors from using a partial veto to increase taxes or fees in appropriation bills such as state budgets. It passed the legislature for the first time in early 2024 and if it passes both chambers again this year could come before voters in the fall election.
Tonight
is the final night for Lights in the Valley in Eau Claire. This
year's show boasts new themed sections plus a Pixel Forest, a salute
to veterans, and a new festive finale. Lights in the Valley happens
at the Eau Claire Expo Center Grounds. Tickets are more info can be
found at lightsinthevalley-dot-com.
In Rusk County, Stubbs Township Chairman David Kochendorfer is resigning. The moves comes as the Rusk County District Attorney is investigating Kochendorfer for his handling of public meetings. Critics say the chairman violated the open meetings law by kicking residents out of meetings and limiting comment from those in attendance. In resigning, Kochendorfer said he has had enough of the whole thing.
Four Wisconsin universities are reporting hazing incidents on campus as a result of a new federal law. All schools were required to disclose those incidents just ahead of Christmas as part of the Stop Campus Hazing Act. The Journal Sentinel reports the University of Wisconsin - Madison showed nine hazing incidents, while Wisconsin - Whitewater reported two. UW - Green Bay and Carroll University in Waukesha also reported incidents. Most of the reports were tied to Greek Life, including all nine at the Madison campus.
Land west of Madison is being bought for conservation. The land, known as Wintergreen, was recently purchased by the Driftless Area Land Conservancy and is located in Spring Green. It's 245 acres and cost nearly three-million dollars. Officials noted the land along the Lower Wisconsin River comes with a large lineup of wildlife and undeveloped riverfront. The conservancy told WKOW they want to understand the land first before moving on to projects.
Be careful with your snow melt or salt this winter: it can be dangerous to your surroundings. Ag experts say the chemicals in many commercial brands of snow melt are strong enough to cut through most ice and packed snow with just a small amount. So don't toss too much out there too often. The sodium and chemicals from snow melt can seep into concrete and weaken it, can kill lawns, and contaminate ground water if too much gets into the storm drains. Use a conservative mount, just a cups worth for most front paths and drive ways, and if it's still too slick to get around, consider using sand or grit instead.
The House Oversight Committee will hold hearings on fraud concerns within Minnesota's social services programs. Committee Chairman James Comer announced the hearing on Wednesday, and it is set for January 7th with testimony from Republican lawmakers Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson and Marion Rarick. Comer has also invited Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz and its Attorney General Keith Ellison to testify on February 10th. Walz's office issued a statement to The Hill sharing the governor is "happy to work with Congress," while also pointing to the committee's track record for holding what he called "circus hearings that have nothing to do with the issue at hand."
Winona
Ice Park is open for the season. The man-made ice climbing park is
one of the few in the country. It's created using hoses that slowly
shower water down the stone walls of an old quarry. Winona is
hosting its third annual Ice Climbing Festival from January 29th
through February 1st. The ice park is located in the Sugar Loaf open
space area and is managed but the Recreation Alliance of Winona.
